Bareback Bronc Riding — The event is judged according to the performances of both the rider and the bucking horse. It is a single- handhold, eight-second ride which starts with the cowboy’s feet held in a position over the break of the horse’s shoulders until the horse’s front feet touch the ground first jump out of the chute. The rider earns points maintaining upper body control while moving his feet in a toes-turned-out rhythmic motion in time with the horse’s bucking action.

Steer Wrestling — This event was originally called "bull dogging" and requires the cowboy to lean from the running horse onto the back of a 600 pound steer, catch it behind the horns, stop the steer’s forward momentum and wrestle it to the ground with all four of its legs and head pointing the same direction. The bulldogger is assisted by the hazer, who rides along the steer’s right to keep the animal running straight.

Saddle Bronc Riding — Known as rodeo’s classic event, saddle bronc riding is judged similarly to bareback bronc riding but there are additional possibilities to being disqualified; that is, losing a stirrup or dropping the thickly braided rein that is attached to the horse’s halter. The cowboy sits on the horse differently due to the saddle and rein, and the spurring motion covers a different area of the horse. Saddle broncs are usually several hundred pounds heavier than bareback horses and generally buck in a slower manner.

Calf Roping — Calf roping is an authentic ranch skill that originated from working cowboys. Once the calf has been roped, the cowboy dismounts and runs down the length of the rope to the calf. When the calf is on the ground, the cowboy ties three legs together with a six- foot pigging string. Calves are given a head start, and if the cowboy’s horse leaves the box too soon, a barrier breaks and a 10- second penalty is added to the roper’s time. In all of the timed events, a fraction of a second makes the difference between winning and losing.

Cowgirls Barrel Racing — This event is a horse race with turns. The cowgirl’s time begins as she rides her horse across the starting line in the arena. She makes a run around three upright barrels, which are in a cloverleaf pattern, and back to the starting line where the clock stops. Tipping a barrel is permitted, but if it is knocked to the ground, a five-second penalty is added to her time.

Team Roping — Team roping is the only rodeo event that features two contestants. The team is made up of a header and a heeler. The header ropes the horns, then dallies or wraps his rope around his saddle horn and turns the steer to the left for the other cowboy who ropes the heels. The heeler must throw a loop with precision timing to catch both of the steer’s hind legs. The time clock stops once both ropers have made a catch and brought the animals to a stop, facing each other.

For more general rodeo information and details about each event, visit 101ranchrodeo.com

This rodeo is sanctioned by the following organizations:

United Rodeo Association
The United Rodeo Assocation is a non-profit organization established in 1962 that sanctions rodeos primarily in the nine state area of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The URA season goes year round, beginning in September or October after the point cut-off for the Finals Rodeo. A Championship Finals Rodeo is held each fall and features the top 15 contestants in each of nine events.
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Missouri Rodeo Cowboys Association
The Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association has grown into a major force rodeo in the Midwest. Its annual membership of over 600 cowboys and cowgirls compete in the nine standard events. The top 15 contestants in each event qualify for the Year End Finals which are held each year in Sedalia, MO in conjunction with the Missouri State Fair.
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